Roll
by elesi
Summary: Kakashi and Rin and a small boy.  Random drabbles.
1. Thunderstorm

I asked permission from kai-isolated who owns the OC Sakumo Hatake II.

***

It was the sounds of a storm which woke Rin from her sleep: heavy rain drumming on the roof, roar of thunder, crack of lightning. She got up from bed and tiptoed out of her room, not wanting to wake Kakashi who should be sleeping on the couch in the living room. She knew how the slightest noise could wake him but she realized she need not try to be quiet since all other sound was drowned by the rain. Then again, she thought what woke her was the voice of her son calling to her. It could be just a dream but she instinctively had the urge to check.

Kakashi always made sure he visited his son, especially if he was gone from a mission for a couple of days. Sakumo was already asleep when Kakashi had arrived sometime before midnight . It was when the torrent of rain started and he found good reason to stay at Rin's house.

The first thing Rin saw when she opened the door to Sakumo's room was the empty bed. The faint glow coming from the nightlight plugged into the wall allowed her to find two brown eyes, very much like hers, looking at her. "Mommy," Sakumo greeted sleepily. He was being carried by Kakashi, his small arms hugging his father's neck, head resting on Kakashi's shoulder. The sight tugged at her heart.

And then, there was a particularly loud crack of lightning. It sounded very close by that Rin cannot avoid flinching although Kakashi stayed unperturbed. "Did the storm wake you?" she asked her son as she walked over to where Kakashi stood and started stroking Sakumo's hair, gray-white just like his dad's.

The boy nodded, apparently scared by the lightning as he pressed himself tighter against his father. Rin was waiting for either Kakashi to hand Sakumo over to her or for her son to reach out to her so she can carry him herself but the two seemed content with each other's company.

Rin sat on the edge of the bed, watching father and son enjoy their moment together; Kakashi rocking sideways gently as Sakumo quietly embraced him. Looking at them, she cannot think what made her fear that Kakashi wouldn't want the child. A part of her regretted keeping their son from him. It hurt her that her son had to suffer because of that baseless fear.

After another rumble of thunder, she approached them again. "Would you like to sleep in my room tonight, Sakumo?" she asked. Two brown sleepy eyes lit up as they looked at her. "Daddy too?" the boy asked.

She groped for an answer, finding it difficult to look back directly at those young hopeful eyes. "We won't fit on your mom's bed, Sakumo," Kakashi told his son. "You roll around too much, you'll kick me off the bed." It wasn't quite a lie but it wasn't really the reason either.

The boy loosened his hug, pouted and gave his father a look which Kakashi wasn't sure was supposed to be incredulous or to show his disappointment with his dad for not helping him team-up against his mom. Kakashi was startled and amused at the intensity of Sakumo's glare he had to choke down a chuckle by pretending to cough. Sakumo then looked back at Rin and she realized he was waiting for an answer. She sighed sadly. "Maybe some other time, baby."

Dismay was evident in the boy's face but it was quickly dispelled by a yawn. Sakumo sunk back to his dad's shoulder and in few minutes, silent save for the storm raging outside, Kakashi was able to rock his son back to sleep.

Rin signaled Kakashi with a nod and they walked through the dark house to her room, lit only by occassional flashes of lightning. Sakumo was gently set down on the bed and he immediately spread his arms and legs, his parents watching their small bundle of joy take much of the bed space.

"He called out to you," Kakashi said to Rin, both still looking at their son.  
"I thought I heard him," she said. "That's why I came."  
Thunder rolled, lightning flashed and Rin found herself in that awkward silence again. There was a moment when the rain seemed to lull a tiny bit. "Exactly four years ago, our son was conceived," Kakashi said without tearing his eye away from Sakumo. "I'm happy it happened."

Silence.

"Let's all go to sleep, Rin." Kakashi walked towards the door.

She called his name but thunder roared and the rain poured down heavily again.

Morning came but the rain stayed. When Sakumo woke up, he found out how cramped it was to sleep between his mom and dad.


	2. Anniversary

_Saku-chan and Shiro are characters by kai-isolated. All other characters owned by Kishi._

Darkness. It pressed down on him. Thick and viscous like tar, heavy like a rock.

"_Is this how it felt, huh, Obito?" _

It pushed him down, the darkness blacker than black. If it had hands, it would've strangled him. If it had feet, it would've trampled him. But it was just an abyss of eternal night, engulfing him until he was but a part of that black void, melted to almost a nothingness that's easily swept up, forced back, swirled down, spun around.

_Fight._ It was a whisper. Not really a voice but a feeling resonating from afar. He felt it come at him, reach him and cling to him.

_Fight._ That was the whispered command. He followed it like an obedient soldier because he thought that to fight was what he was born to do.

_Fight._ But he understood now. Passed down to him was a will; a fire burning strong, blazing bright.

And so he fought the tumult. Darkness was cut by a blade of lightning, a slash of pure blinding white rupturing the black black void. By his own power, he was thrown out of the darkness.

And he was falling…

Falling…

Falling…

Kakashi slowly opened his eye and let his gaze wander around the room. The way the shadows angled against the sunlight coming in from the open window showed him that it was already late afternoon. He sat up in bed, sleepily stretched his arms and neck, thinking a bit about his dream. It was a subtle one compared to the nightmares that he, thankfully, had been getting less and less of. Or, he had probably become so used to having bad dreams that they no longer violently jolt him awake or perturb him in the least.

He glanced toward the set of picture frames perched on top of the bed's headboard, looking at each photo for a brief moment before resting his sight on the oldest picture – that of his former team: Team Minato. There he found the face of a boy with jet-black hair, blue clothes and orange goggles.

It was _that_ time of year again.

The streets of Konoha were bustling with life. The late afternoon rays of the sun made all the colors more vivid and warmly bright, almost making Kakashi squint. The lively buzz of daily activity filled his ears and scents wafted heavily in the air, carried by the pleasant breeze, making him think that if he could actually taste "life" at that very moment in time, he knew it would taste good, maybe like miso soup with eggplant. He wouldn't admit it but he felt the joy of being alive.

Kakashi quickly dropped by the Yamanaka's flower shop and upon his exit chanced upon the man who called him "Eternal Rival." Persistent and perky and in all his green-clad tight-fitting glory, Maito Gai passed by accompanied by his favorite student Lee. He seemed to be explaining a fact of life to the almost always wide-eyed young man who was jotting down his sensei's precious lesson on a handy notebook. Kakashi knew there was no other person that had a zest for life like Gai. Though they had many differences, Kakashi knew the biggest one was that Gai always looked forward to the future while he always looked back to the past.

Gai caught sight of Kakashi and eyeing the flowers his Eternal Rival was holding did a good guy pose and flashed Kakashi with that infamous smile. There was no doubt in Kakashi's mind that this friend of his will go down in history as the one who had the brightest, shiniest teeth in all of Konoha, among all other achievements of course. He hoped that Gai's fountain of youth (wherever it may be) would never dry up.

Kakashi continued toward his destination and on the way met Shikamaru who had come from the shinobi cemetery to visit the grave of Asuma. Naruto, who had tagged along with his friend, was in a subdued mood, probably feeling the solemnity of the place they were in. The two had grown up to be fine young men, each with their own share of pain and accomplishments. There's still so much in store for these two and their generation but Kakashi knew that they will be just fine.

From afar, Kakashi could already the memorial stone and though not yet visible from that distance, he knew by heart where among all the etched names of unknown people, acquaintances and friends Obito's name would be. Always, pangs of guilt would come hitting him, especially on this particular date. A shadow of pain flickered over his face that was partially dispelled by the greeting of the person waiting for him in front of the slab of stone.

"Hey," a soft voice greeted.

"Hey," Kakashi greeted back as he came to a stop on front of the stone and stood beside the woman who was smiling at him, the setting sun making white orbs on her kind brown eyes. He placed his right arm around her shoulder and gently leaned his head on hers. He felt her arm snake around his waist and stay there.

"Did you get some sleep?" she asked. It took Kakashi a moment to reply as he let the warm comfortable feeling of being with Rin seep into his being.

"Yeah," he said. He had come home in the morning from a mission just as Rin was about to leave to take their son to school before going to her work at the Konoha Hospital. The boy, always excited to see him back, had to be persuaded to go to school so his father could rest peacefully at home.

"Sakumo!" Rin called out to the boy playing on the grassy clearing surrounding the memorial stone. The boy turned towards her, a smile showing up on his face as he saw his father beside his mom. He ran towards his parents as a small white dog chased Sakumo, playfully nipping at the boy's sandal, almost making him trip. Both Kakashi and Rin chuckled softly at the antics of their son's pet dog Shiro who was trying it's best to get the boy back to their game of fetch the stick.

Once Sakumo reached them, he curiously looked at the white flowers his dad was holding. "Are they for Okaa-san?" he asked as he looked up at his dad. Kakashi gently shook his head and said, "They're for Obito." The child looked at the flowers again, (spider chrysanthemum was what Rin called them) feeling the long, thin petals.

"Can I give it to him, Tou-san?"

Kakashi thought for the briefest of moments before handing the flowers to his inquisitive son. "Of course," he said with a smile.

Kakashi and Rin, still holding on to each other, watched as their son sauntered towards the memorial stone, gingerly holding the three flowers by the stem. Sakumo looked closely at the memorial stone, looking for Obito's name. He had a general idea where on the stone it should be etched as he had tried looking for before on their previous visits. "There you are!" he exclaimed once he finally found it. He then stood up straight and started talking.

"Obito-san," he started. "This flower is from Tou-san." He bent down as he offered the first flower. "This is from Okaa-san," he said as he almost dropped the second flower. "And this is from me." He lay the last white flower down. "But it's Tou-san who bought them, okay?" he added in a whisper that did not escape his parents' hearing. Rin buried her face on Kakashi's shoulder to hide the laughter that wanted to get out. Behind his mask, Kakashi was smiling broadly.

Sakumo stood up then ran to his father's side. Kakashi mussed his son's hair before placing his free arm around Sakumo's shoulder, pressing the boy to himself the way he was pressing Rin close. It was quite a wonder how these two people could easily make him put difficult or painful thoughts aside.

The breeze blew, tousling his own hair, making it feel like he was getting a pat on the head from his sensei and, like from a distant past, also his father. He thanked Obito again because though it took him a long time to realize it, it was on this day, years and years ago, that he was given the gift of continuing to live.


	3. Belated

"Okay. So when Mommy comes in, I give her the flower and greet her. Right, Dad?"

Kakashi sighed as subtly as he can. It was the eleventh time Sakumo verified with him what he was supposed to do. But he knew that his four year old son was just excited. "Exactly," Kakashi said.

Sakumo giggled with delight as he sat on his father's lap, gingerly holding a flower by the stem. Kakashi had been the one to bring the flower home. They were waiting for Rin inside the house, sitting near the door.

"And what do I do after I give Mommy the flower?" the boy asked.

"Hmmm. Maybe you can kiss her or give her a hug," Kakashi replied. Sakumo had also asked that same question before and Kakashi saw how his son seems to be thinking carefully what to do. "Maybe I can give her a popsicle?" 

"That would be nice as well," Kakashi said with a smile. The boy giggled again, becoming more and more restless.

Finally, Kakashi heard the faint sound of the doorknob turning and whispered to his son that his mom has arrived from work. Sakumo stood up and Kakashi held him by the shoulders to keep him from running right away to meet Rin.

Once Rin had entered the house and closed the door behind her, she saw her two boys waiting for her. Kakashi gave Sakumo a nod as a go signal.

"Mommy!" Sakumo greeted Rin with a big smile on his face. He had his arms stretched out to give his mom the flower and Rin could not help but smile back. "Happy Valentine's!"

Both Kakashi and Rin were suprised but Kakashi was able to recover first. "Sakumo," he called out softly to his son who turned to him right away. "It's Mother's Day, not Valentines." Rin pretended not to hear. 

"Huh?" The boy had a very embarrassed look on his young face. "But... uhh..." He looked at the flower. His mother hasn't taken it from him yet. An idea came to him. "Okay. Mommy can you go back outside then come in again?"

"Surely my dear," Rin said as she hurried out of the door. When she got out, she laughed so hard it took her a couple of minutes to compose herself and go inside the house again. Kakashi had a harder time hiding his laughter, biting his lips to stop himself from laughing out loud. Thankfully, he still had his mask on.

Finally, the door opened again and Rin stepped in.

"Mommy!" Again, Sakumo was beaming at her. "Happy Mother's Day!"

Saku-chan is an OC of kai-isolated.

Something I did for Mother's Day 2010.

Thanks for reading. ^_^


	4. Fever

"Don't worry Kaa-san, I'll look after Tou-san."

Rin smiled as she looked down at the owner of the voice, her son Sakumo. To her, the boy seemed to look more and more like his father Kakashi as each day passed. "Leave him to me," added Sakumo, sounding so confident and certain that he would be able to take care of his dad. Rin laughed as she knelt on her knees and hugged and kissed her son good-bye. "You sure about that?" joked Rin. "Your dad's a bit hard-headed, you know."

"I heard that," Kakashi called out from the couch where he was quietly resting. Both Rin and Sakumo sniggered.

"I'll be quick," she said as she stepped out the door. "Take care!" said Kakashi and Sakumo almost at the same time.

The boy went back to playing with his dog Shiro while Kakashi reclined himself on the couch, watching his son play. He still had bandages on his arms, covering wounds from the mission he just got back from the night before. Sakumo was playing veterinarian, or doctor, or probably both since he looked like he was treating his Pakkun and Ojii-san plushies at the same time. Shiro was supposed to be the nurse but he was reluctantly playing the part, not paying any attention to Sakumo at all, just seriously gnawing at a chew toy instead.

Kakashi was feeling a little throbbing in his head but he wasn't paying it any attention - he was enjoying a pleasantly lazy afternoon with his own son. Just then he saw Sakumo yawn big. "Time for a nice afternoon nap, kiddo," he said to the boy. Sakumo walked to his father and crawled up Kakashi's lap. He looked at his father's bandaged hands. "Do they hurt, Tou-san?" he asked. Kakashi just shrugged, "Not really." They boy looked up his dad's face. "How about this one?" Sakumo asked as he pointed at the scar on Kakashi's face. "Not anymore," Kakashi answered as he shook his head gently. He thought about how his son was still too young to realize that physical wounds are the easiest to heal.

"Let's just both have a bit of sleep, Sakumo. My head's aching a bit," Kakashi told his son who sat still on his lap, facing him. What Sakumo did was reach a hand to his father's forehead and Kakashi saw the gradual change of expression on Sakumo's face - from sleepy to that of showing mild surprise. "You have a fever, Tou-san!"

"Really?" Kakashi asked, half-amused. The boy nodded as he jumped off his dad's lap and ran off. "Stay there Tou-san! This is an emergency! I'll give you some medicine!" Sakumo declared from somewhere in the house. He thought Sakumo was still playing but then realized that the boy was serious. Kakashi stood up to follow Sakumo and see what his son was up to but before he can take a step, the boy came running back and pushed him back onto the couch. "Just stay there!" Sakumo commanded then ran off again.

From where he sat on the couch, Kakashi was able to hear the footfalls of a child, a chair being pushed, a small door being opened then closed, the soft thud of feet landing on the floor, the clinking of glass against another. When Sakumo came back, he handed his father a glass of water and some thick liquid in a small plastic glass. "Drink this, Tou-san," he told Kakashi who dubiously looked at the medicine. "It's okay, Sakumo. It's really just a small headache," the father said as he looked at his son. He tried to look non-chalant but the glare on Sakumo's face had turned to a scowl. "Kaa-san's right. You are hard-headed," the boy grumbled.

Kakashi looked at his son's eyes. He had seen how sad they looked everytime he had to leave for a mission or go away for one reason or another. He had seen how they can shine with glee everytime the boy welcomed him home or when the boy was given a popsicle. He had seen the worry in them whenever the boy saw him wounded. Sakumo's eyes were same as Rin's. They can tell him a lot of things without saying anything. And right at that moment, he can tell that Sakumo was getting exasperated with him. Kakashi realized that there was not one, but two pairs of brown eyes that can beat him at staredowns.

***

,,,,,,

Silence greeted Rin when she came back. On the couch, she found Kakashi sitting still and quiet as a sleeping Sakumo sat on his lap, the boy's head leaning on his father's chest as if listening to Kakashi's heartbeat. She walked over to them, Kakashi watching her with one open eye, and gave the snoozing kid and the sleepy father each a kiss on the head. She gently sidled up to them and told Kakashi in hushed tones that he was feverish. "So I had been told," Kakashi whispered back.

Just then Sakumo woke up and saw his mother was back. "Kaa-san," he called to Rin. "Tou-san is sick but I gave him medicine."

"Really now?" Rin reacted amusedly. She looked at Kakashi who still sat looking cool and unconcerned. Kakashi sighed. "Yeah, he made me drink it," he said. "It was sweet. Very sweet." Rin was puzzled by Kakashi's statement but she also cannot help but notice the look of satisfaction on Sakumo who no doubt was thinking he did a good job of taking care of his father. On the side table, she caught glimpse of the glass of water and the dosage cup that she supposed Sakumo used. And then she started to laugh as she realized what medicine Sakumo had made Kakashi drink. It was strawberry-flavored fever syrup for kids, the same one she uses when Sakumo is sick. 


	5. 123

This was written for Rin's birthday. I'm way too late for posting it here. ^_^

1.2.3

1 It was the kind of day Rin would've liked. She would've welcomed the cool breeze, wouldn't have cared if the wind blew hard and ruffled her hair to a mess. She would've looked forward to sitting under a tree after a sparring session with Kakashi and would've taken a nap right then and there. Or she would've picked some flowers and brought them to the memorial stone. She would've told Obito about the things Kakashi were up to: him getting into the ANBU, the last challenge between him and Gai, the puppy Kakashi adopted. Rin would've done a lot of other things on a day like that, Kakashi thought as he unlocked the door to his house and quietly went in.

There was enough light in the kitchen to see his way around. He put the things he bought on top of the counter and started to unwrap them. The bunch of flowers were placed on a tall drinking glass half-full of water and the strawberries on a clean, dry bowl. The strawberry cake was taken out of the box and everything was placed on the table, including a gallon of strawberry ice cream. Rin would've liked all of it and he wouldn't have minded if she asked him to help her eat all of it even if he wasn't much into sweets. He sat himself on a chair vacantly staring at everything in front of him.

Kakashi reached out a hand and touched the cold, wet gallon of ice cream. With his index finger, he traced the characters of her name upon the condensation on the side of the container. It was readable for a couple of moments until the droplets of water gathered and trickled down the gallon's side. The light faded and night settled in. He didn't notice the passing of the hours. It would've been a nice day, and the ones before that, and the ones after, if only Rin was there.

2 It was the kind of day Rin would've liked. She thought it would've been nice for staying outdoors and finding a deserted rooftop or a big shady tree or a cool grassy meadow to hang out on. She didn't know that Kakashi was thinking the same thing as he walked in a leisurely pace towards Konoha Hospital. He didn't know that it was always quite a pleasant surprise for Rin whenever she finds him there waiting for her at the end of her shift. They didn't know the amused looks they got when their faces, one looking tired and the other looking vacant, would then light up the moment they caught sight of each other. It would've been nice to spend what remained of the day outdoors but if it wasn't weariness from work then it was the coming of night that brought both of them a longing to just go home instead.

And so, not long afterwards, they were slumped on the couch, leaning on each other, side by side, hand in hand. Then, as if he just remembered something, Kakashi stood up and went to the kitchen coming back with a tasty-looking strawberry cake which made Rin's eyes grow wide the moment she saw it. "Is that mine?" she asked, sitting upright, her mouth watering up. "No," Kakashi replied in the driest, most deadpan expression ever. "It's totally mine. And I'm not sharing it with you." A forehead protector was thrown playfully at him which he dodged way too easily.

They both sat on the floor, setting the cake on the low table. "Thank you very much for the cake," Rin said as she scooped a little icing with her index finger and brought it to her mouth. "It's just a cake," Kakashi said with a shrug. Rin shot her a slightly miffed look. "You don't say 'It's just cake,'" she said. "How do you feel whenever I cook your favorite miso soup? With the eggplants and all that?" Kakashi sighed, thinking. "It feels great," he admitted. "Okay, I get it now. You're very welcome. For the... you know... cake." He punctuated it with a sheepish smile and a little scratching of the back of his head. And Rin gave him a smile which he dares think is the sweetest thing he would ever know.

3 It was the kind of day Rin would've liked. She was also pretty sure it was the kind of day her son Sakumo would've liked for playing outdoors. They would've gone to the park or the woods and the boy would've frolicked on the grass, chased by his playful white dog. He would've gone tumbling around; doing cartwheels and somersaults. If Kakashi arrived, Sakumo would've asked his dad to teach him some taijutsu which would've eventually led to some roughhousing between the two. Or Sakumo would've asked Kakashi to summon his ninken so he can play with them. And even though Rin loves Kakashi's ninja dogs and didn't mind having all of them around, she's still horrified with the idea of a little kid playing with a big bulldog wearing a collar full of spikes, and yet she would relent because Kakashi always kept a good eye on their son.

On that day, however, she found both Kakashi and Sakumo indoors, quietly waiting for her in their kitchen. Kakashi quiet because he usually was and Sakumo also quiet because he was vainly trying to stay awake and was nodding off as he sat by the table, with an untouched strawberry cake laid on top of it, with his father. The boy was carried by Kakashi out of the kitchen and onto the couch, not aware anymore that his mother, whom he had been waiting for, had come. "He was waiting for you so he can start eating your cake," Kakashi whispered to her. "Aside from your brown eyes, he's got a sweet tooth just like you."

They waited for Sakumo to wake up from his nap. "Kaa-san!" the boy enthusiastically greeted. "Can we eat your strawberry cake now?" Rin laughed at their son's persistence. "Of course," she said. "Go wash your hands first." The boy happily jumped off the couch and ran to the kitchen followed by his parents. "Can we also eat the ice cream now?" Sakumo asked his parents. "How did you know about the ice cream?" Kakashi asked. He did not tell his son that there was ice cream in the fridge. "I smelled it!" the boy replied. "Hmm," Rin, with a smile on her face, whispered to Kakashi. "Aside from your gray hair, he's got a sharp nose just like you." 


End file.
